Automatic egg cleaning machine



2 Sheets-*Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 30, 1949 .L n mw m m w mm m D T v. A L 6E c Y B j 3 AK 1&6 m m\ m h N w NN -.I.|..-\ n x MN on a I: n 0 1 A a March 30, 1954 c. c. POWELL AUTOMATIC EGG CLEARING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Aug. 30, 1949 INVENTOR.

m. E M E w L C A T'TORNEYS' Reissued Ma. 30, 1954 Re. 23,809

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC EGG CLEANING MACHINE Clyde C. Powell, Bellevue, Wash, assignor to National Poultry Equipment Company, Seattle. Wash., a partnership Original No. 2,554,878, dated May 29, 1951, Serial No. 113,196, August'30, 1949. Application for reissue May 26, 1953, Serial No. 357,652

Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of this reissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

18 Claims.

The cleaning of eggs without wetting them, and by abrasion, has long been accomplished by mechanism such as is shown in the two patents to Miller et al., Nos. 1,964,295 of June 26, 1934, and 2,018,967 of October 29, 1935. In each such machine a generally cylindrical assemblage supporting a multiplicity of light abrasive loops rotates rapidly to urge the loops centrifugally outwardly and to drag the loops over the surface of an egg held at a fixed station for a period of time determined by the operator, and in so taneously upon the passing eggs. However, doing not only effects removal of dirt from one since the two cylindrical loci may not meet nor particular area of the eggshell. but also, by the intersect, in order to insure that there is not left dragging action of the loops, efiects rotation of an equatorial zone which is uncleaned, each egg the egg end for end and around its -major or is tilted so that first one .end and then the other polar axis in such manner as to present all its is uptilted towards the rotative axes of the resurface eventually to the abrasive action of the spective abrasive elements. One way of doing loops. In order to accomplish this end, fixity of this is to rock the track and the eggs carried bY the location of the egg at one particular station, it [are rocked] repeatedly from side to side, and and a particular attitude at that station, are by such means or any equivalent expedient necessary. [thus] each polar cap or zone of abrasion ex- Such machines, while long successfully used by tends in turn past the equator of the egg, to propoultrymen in appreciable numbers, nevertheless vide an equatorial zone of overlapping abrasion required constant attention on the part of an and cleaning, and each polar area in turn isoperator, and notwithstanding that they might swiped, thereby insuring completeness of the be madeof a capacity to work simultaneously cleaning of each egg. on twelve or fifteen eggs, nevertheless required The provision of mechanism for and a method a quite appreciable period of time to clean the [to] thus to clean eggs is the primary object of large numbers of dirty eggs produced, despite the this invention. best of precautions, at any large-scale poultry It is likewise an object to provide mechanism farm. Moreover, the completeness and effective ness oi the cleaning operation was dependent in considerable measure upon the judgment and attentiveness of the operator, and was'not always uniform.

According to the present invention similar abrasive means are employed, for they have proven highly successful, and destructive in the very minimum degree to the eggs, yet the operation is made automatic throughout, and requires no attention whatsoever on the part of the operator or operators other than to place individual eggs into the machine one by one, and to remove the cleaned eggs, briefly inspect them, and dispose of them.

More specifically, according to the present invention, individual eggs are advanced slowly, and preferably at a constant rate and by positive advancing means, along a track or path, which is normally a straight path, and as they advance along this track or path they are acted upon bythe many individually yieldable abrasive elements of the two [the] rotative abrasive means. each [and their many component abrasive elements,] placed fixedly alongside eachside of the.

path. and as [they] the eggs advance, but without dependence upon the abrasive drag, [the eggs] they are automatically rolled about their major axis, which was initially directed and automatically remains oriented transversely of the direction of advance, and [so] thus each polar cap or zone is swiped, and so abraded and cleaned. Since each such abrasive cylinder is of appreciable length, it is preferred that they be placed generally side by side, and operate simulof the general nature indicated, which shall be simple, relatively inexpensive, and rugged andreliable for use over long periods of time, and under the conditions normally encountered in the cleaning and handling of eggs.

Detailed objects, and particularly such as relate to the construction and arrangement .of the individual parts, and of the drive means and the like, will all be ascertainable as this specification progresses.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown embodied in a mechanical form, such as is presently preferred by me.

Figure l is in the nature of a side elevational view of the machine, with the casing and associated parts shown in section, and with certain of the operative parts broken away for better illustration.

Figure 2 is a general end elevational view from the feed end, with the track and conveyor means, however, shown in cross section.

Figure 3 is a general cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through the track, the con veyor means, and the abrasive means.

Figure 4 is an end view illustrating a detail of OOIIVBI'SE.

the mounting means for the track which permits its rocking, the viewpoint being from the feed end.

The abrasive means used are. or may be, substantially the same. as those shown in the Miller et al. patents referred to above, and therefore need no detailed description. Briefly they are rotative cylindrical devices, each one including an axial shaft 10, structural supports ll thereon which provide points of support, angularly and axially spaced at short intervals. for abrasive loops, generally made of sandpaper, indicated at I. There are a great multiplicity of such loops in each individual abrasive cylinder, and two such cylinders are employed, rotative oppositely, alongside one another and generally in parallelism, and sufliciently closely spaced that their centrifugally outflung loops 1 nearly-but preferably not quite-engage one another at their line of closest approach, midway between their shafts l0.

Intermediate these rotative abrasive cylinders is supported a track 2 of. some considerable leng h. suiiicient to extend alongside of and beyond each end of the abrasive cylinders. Preferably this is trough-like in form, to leave upstanding ridges along each side for rolling support of an egg (see Figure 3), and to leave within the bottom of the trough space for a conveyor means such as the endless belt, which in turn carries rubber-covered pins 3,"which are spaced apart just sufficiently to receive the minor or equatorial diameter of an egg. and by the advance of these pins to advance an egg so engaged along the track. The egg automatically orients itself so as to roll on equal diameters at its two ends, and does not wobble. The conveyor belt 30 is received upon pulleys 3| and 32 journaled in the track 2 or in extensions integral with the track. Low-speed drive means, as indicated generally at 33, also carried by the track, advance the belt and its eggs slowly along the track.

The track is so located with respect to the two abrasive cylinders, and the orbits or cylindrical loci of their loops I, that each egg, as it rolls along the track, will be engaged by the successive loops as the cylinders whirl rapidly, and each loop, being flexible, will yield, conform to the surface contour of, and drag over each egg. By the combination of this dragging action toward each pole of the egg, and the rolling of the egg about its polar axis. abrasion of each polar area is, which heretofore has been particularly difficult of attainment, assured. It will be noted from Figure 3 that the dragging action tends to hold the egg down upon the track 2, rather than the However, it is not practicable tolocate the eggs path closely enough to the line of closest approach of the two abrasive cylinders to insure that the equatorial zone of each egg will be abraded, and indeed it would require mutual contact of the abrasive loops on the two different cylinders, which is undesirable, 'in order to insure this. Likewise cleansing of the polar caps may not be thorough unless the eggs axis be brought more nearly tangent to the orbit of the abrading loops. Accordingly, in order that these ends can be assured, yet without heavy striking or abrasion of the egg by any loops, the track. 2 is mounted to tilt the egg and to reverse its tilt at least once, or oftener, as by [for] rocking back and forth sidewise, while the egg progresses therealong. For this purpose it is mounted at each of its ends upon an arcuate supporting member 2|, and this is carried upon rollers I2 fixed in the supporting frame. By such means the entire track, and everything carried thereby or thereon, including the conveyor drive means 33, can be rocked back and forth about an axis which is offset in the vertical direction from the locus of the eggs centers, as by being located somewhat below the center of the egg, whereby each eggs polar cap is abraded throughout an appreciable zone surrounding the pole, and its equatorial zone is presented first to one abrasive means,'then tothe other, and so on, reversing repeatedly, to the end that, in conjunction with the rolling of the egg, all portions of the polar zones and the equatorial zone are abraded thoroughly. In a sense, the two polar zones overlap in this equatorial zone.

The means to accomplish the rocking of the track may be any that are found convenient, and in Figure 2 the track is shown as provided with a depending arm 25, to the end of which is secured a connecting link 52 from a crank disk 53, which is rotated by any convenient drive motor drive pulley 55, pulleys 5| on the end of each shaft III, a take-up pulley 54, and a drive belt 50 extending from the motor drive pulley 55 and about the pulleys 5| and 54. The shafts ll being power-driven, one of them, through the belt 56, may drive a jackshaft 51, by means of which, through a belt 58, the crank disk 53 may be slowly rotated.

Single eggs are placed upon the feed end of the track 2, at the left as viewed in Figure 1 (wherein at the left the near abrasive means is shown, but only the farther one is shown at the right), to be advanced therealong by the pins 3. As they advance slowly along the rather appre ciable length of the abrasive means, the loops I of the latter repeatedly dragover each egg, and the track I rocks slowly back and forth from side to side. The elapsed time for travel through the abrading station is considered adequate for most eggs, and yet insufficient to damage any. They emerge from the casing 6 after having been cleaned, can be briefly inspected by the operator at this end, and eventually roll upon a platform 5i, where they are collected and disposed of. Frequently they are candled at this point, and if any are still dirty they may be rerun.

The casing 5 may be provided with a cover ill, which may be lifted for access to the abrasive cylinders, or to the conveyor or track in its extent within the casing. Furthermore, the use of a casing permits the employment of suction means, as is suggested by the suction outlet 62, to remove the dust and dirt which the abrasion causes. A removable tray 53 in the bottom of the casing serves to catch any eggs which are broken in the process of cleaning, which ordinarily are only those which already were checked or cracked.

It is desired to point out that the rolling of each egg as it is advancing through the abrading station is necessary in order to expose all parts of each polar zone to the abrasive action of the loops, and that their rolling should be slow, and their advance long-continued, coupled with rapid rotation of and many individual and closely following impacts from the abrasive means, in order to achieve the desired thoroughness of cleansing of these surfaces in their passage along a path of not excessive length. Nevertheless, much of the advantage of the cleansing would be lost if the equatorial zone were imperfectly cleansed, or if the polar caps were not cleaned properly, yet it is undesirable to extend the length of the eggs path in order that it may be subjected to abrasion from different points spaced about its path, hence the tilting [rocking] of the egg, in such coordination with its advance that its equatorial zone is repeatedly scoured during its passage through the abrading station, and from the two opposite sides, is an important factor in the success of the method.

I claim as my invention:

[1. An egg cleaning machine comprising a track along which to roll individual eggs, abrasive means disposed alongside the opposite sides of said track, movable generally in a downward direction towards the track, to engage and abrade the respective ends of the eggs as they roll along said track, and means to rock the track transversely, during the advance of the eggs, about a center ofiset in the vertical direction from the locus of the eggs centers, to efiect engagement of each abrasive means with each egg throughout the eggs respective polar zones, an overlapping equatorial zone, and in each zone intermediate such polar and equatorial zones] [2. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 1, 'ncluding means positively operable to advance the individual eggs along the track at a predetermined rate, the rocking means being arranged for operaticn at a rate to oscillate each egg repeatedly during its passage for repeated presentation of each polar zone to its corresponding a rasive means, and for repeated presentation of the eq"atoria1 zone alternately to each of the two abrasive means] [3. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 1, wherein each abrasive means comprises a cylinder rotative in general parallelism to the truck, and carrying a multiplicity of flexible abrasive elements centrifugally flung outwardly from the rotative cylinder, and self-conforming upon contaet with the e g] 4. An egg cleaning machine comprising a straight track along which to roll individual eg s, as they lie disposed transversely upon said track, means mounting the track for rocking about a longitudinal axis located somewhat below the centersof the rolling eggs, means so to rock the track from side to side, conveyor means movable lengthwise of the track and engaging eacli=egg to advance it positively and at a controlled rate along said track, two abrasive means rotative generally in parallelism with and close alongside the respective sides of said track, and each including a multiplicity of flexible, light abrasive elements centrifugally flun outwardly into the path of the eggs, and self-conforming upon contact therewith to abrade the corresponding polar area to and including an equatorial zone common to the two polar areas, and drive means for the conveyor means and the track-rocking means, coordinated with the length of the abrasive means to assure repeated abrasion throughout the entire area of each polar zone as each egg traverses said track.

5. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 4, wherein the track-rocking drive means is separate from the conveyor drive means, and wherein the latter drive means is mounted upon and rocks with the track.

6. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 4, wherein the track-rocking drive means is separate from the conveyor drive means, and wherein 6 the latter drive means is mounted upon and rocks with the track, and characterized further in that the track-rocking drive means is also operatively connected to rotate the abrasive means.

7. A method of cleaning an egg which comprises rolling the egg about its major axis along a definite path, subjecting it as it rolls to abrasive action in each of two polar areas at opposite sides of such path, and rocking the egg transversely of such path as it rolls, to extend the abrasive action into an equatorial zone wherein the two polar zones overlap.

8. A method as in claim I, characterized in that the abrasive action is continuous throughout a substantial length of the eggs path, and in that the rocking occurs repeatedly back and forth, while the abrasive action continues and the e continues to roll, to repeatedly expose all of both polar areas to abrasion.

9. A method as in claim 7, characterized in that the abrasive action includes a multiplicity of individual engagements of the egg with light, flexible abrasive elements, rotating about an axis generally parallel to the eggs path, and self-conforming to the eggs surface as it passes polarwise thereover.

10. A method of cleaning an egg which comprises rolling the egg about its major axis along a definite, generally straight path, subjecting it to the action f yieldable abrasive elements rotatable in two fixed, generally cylindrical, and non-col'ncidentloci located at the respectively opposite sides of such path to intercept the egg: locus and to swipe its surface in a direction longitudinally of the egg, and tilting the egg as it r lls, from a position wherein its major axis is incl ned towards the rotative axis of a first abrasive element, and the polar area at that end is swiped by that abrasive element and the equatorial area is swiped by the opposite abrasive element, to an oppositely tilted position wherein the opposite polar area is swiped by the opp site abrasive element and the equatorial area is swiped by the first-mentioned abrasive element.

11. A method of clean ng an egg which comprises rolling the egg about its major axis only along a definite path; tilting the egg during its advance from a position wherein its major axis is tilted downwardly towards one side of its path to a position wherein such axis is tilted reversely; and subjecting the eggs upper surface, as it rolls and tilts, to abrasive action directed generally longitudinally of the egg.

12. A method of cleaning an egg which comprises rolling the egg about its major axis along a definite path at a predetermined rate of advance; tilting the egg during its advance from a position. wherein its major axis is tilted downwardly towards one side of its path to a position wherein such axis is tilted reversely; and subjecting the eggs upper surface, as it rolls and tilts, to abrasive action directed generally from its equatorial zone towards its two polar zones.

13. A method of cleaning an cap, as defined in claim 12, characterized in that the abrasive acti n on the two polar zones occurs simultaneously, and the abrasive action on the downtilted n begins beyond the eggs equator, and that on the uptilted end begins at the near side of its equator, the same holding true, but at the opposite end of the egg, when the egg is reversely tilted.

14. A method of cleaning an cap, as defined in claim 13, characterized in that the egg is repectedly tilted back and forth, a; it advances, to

7 subject an equatorial zone alternately to repeated abrasive action towards the opposite poles.

15. A method of cleaning an egg which comprises rolling the egg about its major axis along a definite path at a predetermined rate of advance, subjecting its upper surface, as it rolls, to abrasive action independently of its advancement, and tilting the egg during its advance from a position wherein its major ax s is tilted downwardly towards one side of its path to a position wherein such axis is tilted reversely.

16. A method of cleaning an egg which compr ses rolling the egg about its maior axis along a definite path at a predetermined rate of advance, and subjecting it as it rolls to abrasive action against its upper surface and directed generally from its equatorial zone towards both its polar zones, substantially simultaneously.

17. An egg cleaning machine comprising a track along which to roll individual eggs about their major axes, abrasive means disposed alongside each s de of the track, and movable generally downwardly towards the rolling egg to c ntact the same first at spaced points in the vicinity of the momentarily uppermost portion of its equatorial zone and thence swiping outwardly towards the respective poles, and means to tilt each oil. as t rolls, from a position wherein its one pole is uptilted for swiping by the abrading means at this side of its path, and for swiping by the opposite abrading means past the equator, to a position wherein its Opposite pole is uptilted for swiping by the last-mentioned abrasive means, and for swiping by the first-mentioned abrasive means past the equator.

18. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 17, ncluding means separate from the abrasive means, engageable with the individual eggs to advance them along the track at a predetermined constant rate of advance.

19. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 17, wherein the egg-tilting means is arranged for operation at a rate to oscillate each egg repeatedly during its passage for repeated presentation of alternately more or less of each polar zone to that abrasive means which is disposed alongside the corresponding side of the track, and for repeated presentation of the equatorial zone alternately to each of the two abrasive means.

20. An egg cleaning machine as in claim 17, wherein each abrasive means comprises a cylin- .der rotative about an axis disposed in general parallelism to the track, and carrying a multiplicity of flexible abrasive elements centrijugally flung outwardly from the rotative cylinder, and self-conforming upon contact with the egg.

21. A method of cleaning an egg which comprises rolling the egg about itsv major axis along a definite, generally straight path, subjecting it to the simultaneous action of yieldable abrasive elements rotatable in two fixed, generally cylindrical and non-coincident loci located at the respectively opposite sides of such path to intercept the eggs locus and to swipe its surface in a direction longitudinally of the egg and transversely of its path, the eggs attitude with relation to the two abrasive elements at one end of its path presenting one polar cap to a first such element and its opposite polar cap and equatorial zone to the second such element, and reversing its attitude as it advances along such path to present its' pposite polar cap and equatorial zone to the second such element and ts first polar cap to the first such elem'ent.

CLYDE C. POWELL.

References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 324,641 Berry Aug. 18, 1885 1,461,134 Maull July 10, 1923 1,776,784 Cramer Sept. 30, 1930 1,862,671 Field June 14, 1932 1,876,688 Kasser Sept. 13, 1932 1,964,295 Miller et a1. June 26, 1934 1,976,805 Robinson Oct. 16, 1934 2,018,967 Miller et a1. Oct. 29, 1935 2,235,404 Manggaard Mar. 18, 1941 2,640,210 Zauner June 2, 1953 

